This and That (Bend but Don't Break)

[Zeus]

1. Despite numerous well documented and thoroughly discussed shortcomings, the 2011 Patriots have proven to be a resilient bunch. For the first six minutes last week, the Dream Time physically overpowered NE, dominating both sides of the ball and outgaining the Patriots 139-9 while jumping to a quick 10-0 lead. There's not a lot of teams who could maintain their poise as well as NE did last week, especially on the road. At that point in the game, I can't imagine a lot of people saw a New England blow-out coming. Video of the game will reside at the BB Bend But Don't Break Museum in perpetuity.

2. This week, the traveling freak show known as the Indianapolis Colts rolls into town on four flat tires. The positive feelings from the Colts stellar performance during the bye week (undefeated!) have dissipated quickly in the wake of last week's ritual stomping at the hands of the Carolina juggernaut. Well, I guess enough is enough, even for the Colt Idiot Brain Trust (Irsay Jr., NaPolians I and II). Now is the time for The Unholy Trinity to take decisive action, to wit:

1) bench QB Curtis (Cotton Eye Joe) Painter;
2) fire defensive coordinator Larry Coyer;
3) slash the pay/ benefits of the little old ladies with the funny hair nets who work in the cafeteria;
4) beat up third graders at school bus stops and steal their lunch money;
5) kick family dog and set cat on fire;
6) run over Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz with team snowplow.​

None of this is expected to make any difference whatsoever other than to make NaPolian I feel better, for ten minutes or so. Anger management counseling may well be in order here.

3. It's old news now, but I still can't believe the Colts passed on Kyle Orton. It must be galling to proud veterans such as Saturday, Wayne, Freeney and Mathis to have team management out-and-out tank the season in such a public and blatant fashion. And just where the hell is Commissioner Dudley Do-Right while the Colts are defrauding the fans, networks and sponsors by only pretending to play football?

4. This Gives Me a Headache Dept - For the second time this season, Steeler safety (and Head & Shoulders spokes-do) Troy Polumalu was forced to leave a game with "concussion-like symptoms." Let's see - guy gets smashed in the head, is disoriented and unsteady on his feet. Not a concussion though. Nope. Concussion-like symptoms. No problem. Send him back out there next week. It's not altogether clear that the Steelers got the e-mails about player safety and the terrible danger posed by repeated blows to the head.

5. This Gives Me an Even BIGGER Headache Dept - It was bad enough to watch the Bills gift-wrap the game for the jets last week. But, why oh why, in the name of all that is decent, must we be subjected to that flagrant jet homer and disgusting pervert-clad-in-dainty-undergarments Marv (Bite Me) Albert? My personal disgust reached its pinnacle when Bite Me went on and on about how if the Eagles beat the Patriots later in the day (please, please, please let the Eagles win and I promise I'll stop wearing crotchless panties in the broadcast booth!!!), then the jets would be just one measly game behind NE (tiebreakers be damned). Jesus. Anyone who didn't take a shower immediately after being exposed to that will need years of intensive psychotherapy.

6. Fat Rex Declares War on Gastric Lap Band - Rex required medical attention at the Denver airport due to indigestion caused by the cosmic battle between his no doubt gargantuan post-game (goddam) snack and the aforementioned (and, let's face it, frankly overmatched) lap band. Rex thought that after the surgery, he could still consume 8-10,000 calories per day and lose weight. No wonder he still looks like an aircraft carrier.

7. Anyone who thinks that teams are not as adept as they should be at evaluating player talent might consider the curious cases of Ndamukong (A Boy Named) Suh, Chris Johnson, and Peyton Hillis. Based on their performances in 2010, anyone would have wanted these guys on their team. Based on what's happened in 2011, not so much. There are many variables - a lack of discipline, a change in attitude after receiving a big contract, or the slightest loss of desire or competitive will can make all the difference in the world.

8. So the Patriots have far and away the easiest remaining schedule in the history of the universe? No so fast. Pats' remaining opponents (18-37) are pretty comparable to the Ravens (19-36). The Steelers (26-27) are at a disadvantage, mostly because they play the 49ers instead of the woebegone Colts.

9. Those who (perhaps correctly) like to harp on the Patriots' defensive inadequacies often point out that NE has given up a league worst 58 pass plays of 20 yards or longer (GB is second worst with 47). What is not often mentioned is that NE has only given up only four plays of 40 yards or longer (third best in the league) and two of those happened in the first six minutes of last week's game! That, my friends, is Bend But Don't Break. As they say, you never see yards gained or allowed up on the scoreboard. All that matters is points.

 

[jmt57]

Another great column Zeus.

Keep 'em coming, they're very enjoyable reads.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

5. This Gives Me an Even BIGGER Headache Dept - It was bad enough to watch the Bills gift-wrap the game for the jets last week. But, why oh why, in the name of all that is decent, must we be subjected to that flagrant jet homer and disgusting pervert-clad-in-dainty-undergarments Marv (Bite Me) Albert? My personal disgust reached its pinnacle when Bite Me went on and on about how if the Eagles beat the Patriots later in the day (please, please, please let the Eagles win and I promise I'll stop wearing crotchless panties in the broadcast booth!!!), then the jets would be just one measly game behind NE (tiebreakers be damned). Jesus. Anyone who didn't take a shower immediately after being exposed to that will need years of intensive psychotherapy.

Am I allow to post the lyrics to the song they made up for him ('tis the season) called Walkin' in womans underwear? If not, it's worth a search.

6. Fat Rex Declares War on Gastric Lap Band - Rex required medical attention at the Denver airport due to indigestion caused by the cosmic battle between his no doubt gargantuan post-game (goddam) snack and the aforementioned (and, let's face it, frankly overmatched) lap band. Rex thought that after the surgery, he could still consume 8-10,000 calories per day and lose weight. No wonder he still looks like an aircraft carrier.

Did his twin experience the pain as well?

 

[Fencer]

Am I allow to post the lyrics to the song they made up for him ('tis the season) called Walkin' in womans underwear? If not, it's worth a search.

That would be by the Capitol Steps.

 

[TB146]

7. Anyone who thinks that teams are not as adept as they should be at evaluating player talent might consider the curious cases of Ndamukong (A Boy Named) Suh, Chris Johnson, and Peyton Hillis. Based on their performances in 2010, anyone would have wanted these guys on their team. Based on what's happened in 2011, not so much. There are many variables - a lack of discipline, a change in attitude after receiving a big contract, or the slightest loss of desire or competitive will can make all the difference in the world.

I just realized the other day that Adam 'Pacman' Jones is still in the league. I had completely forgotten about him. He went from constant on-field and/or off-field headlines to no headlines at all. On one hand, it's a good thing that he seems to have settled down in his off-field life, but on the other hand he doesn't seem to be the player he used to be. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[RayClay]

I hate that phrase - bend, but don't break.

We've always played it, but in our heyday it was more like "tighten the noose".

OK, we'll give you that route, between the 30 yard lines. Comfortable? Now we switch with Rodney, Ty Law, Asante and you're screwed.

So much better than these teams with big chest thumping sacks or tight coverage in the first half, only to have offenses who hang in there find those weak spots and exploit them. I'd much rather be the one directing the flow of the offense by my defensive schemes, then reacting.

 

[Kontradiction]

I hate that phrase - bend, but don't break.

We've always played it, but in our heyday it was more like "tighten the noose".

OK, we'll give you that route, between the 30 yard lines. Comfortable? Now we switch with Rodney, Ty Law, Asante and you're screwed.

So much better than these teams with big chest thumping sacks or tight coverage in the first half, only to have offenses who hang in there find those weak spots and exploit them. I'd much rather be the one directing the flow of the offense by my defensive schemes, then reacting.

We didn't play BBDB in 2003 and 2004. Maybe if we got up to big leads, but those defenses were Belichickian defenses that didn't allow a ton of yardage on a regular basis on the ground or through the air. On top of that, those defenses were some of the most aggressive defenses in the NFL when it came to blitzing the safety.

 

[DarrylS]

The BBDB argument is somewhat amusing, and somehow is associated with our deficit.. but if you look at the two most forminable opponents coming out of the NFC Saints (#27 in pass defense) and Green Bay (#31) it provides perspective.

Perhaps BBDB, is the secret to success and not an object of failure.

 

[Sicilian]

3. It's old news now, but I still can't believe the Colts passed on Kyle Orton. It must be galling to proud veterans such as Saturday, Wayne, Freeney and Mathis to have team management out-and-out tank the season in such a public and blatant fashion. And just where the hell is Commissioner Dudley Do-Right while the Colts are defrauding the fans, networks and sponsors by only pretending to play football?

The way the Colts have played (and handled this season overall) is really a slap in the face to the fans, there's no question. However, at this point, why on Earth would they have signed Kyle Orton? The offense there is BAD, but the defense is equally atrocious, giving up around 30 points per game. Orton might have squeaked out one (maybe two) wins for them the rest of the way, but would that really make anyone feel better?

Again, a disgraceful approach to this season from the get go, but at this point you might as well ride it out.

9. Those who (perhaps correctly) like to harp on the Patriots' defensive inadequacies often point out that NE has given up a league worst 58 pass plays of 20 yards or longer (GB is second worst with 47). What is not often mentioned is that NE has only given up only four plays of 40 yards or longer (third best in the league) and two of those happened in the first six minutes of last week's game! That, my friends, is Bend But Don't Break. As they say, you never see yards gained or allowed up on the scoreboard. All that matters is points.

I think what this stat says to me is we're game planning our safeties deep, and our corners tackle fairly well. So what you're getting is coverage problems in the middle routes, but they don't often break for lots of YAC on the deeper throws. I think this is what Belichick is talking about when he comments on the late game "prevent" type defenses, where the goal is to limit the big play and force them to take long drives to score, BUT they'd certainly like to stop them a bit more than they have. The mid level routes have been the ones that kill us (evidenced by our troubles in recent years on 3rd and long).

 

[Huckleberry1]

Colts ownership and the front office wanted to be the worst team in football from the opening snap, why on earth would they pick up a player who would help them win?

The NFL should take away the No. 1 for deliberately tanking an entire season.

 

[Sicilian]

Colts ownership and the front office wanted to be the worst team in football from the opening snap, why on earth would they pick up a player who would help them win?

The NFL should take away the No. 1 for deliberately tanking an entire season.

An interesting rule (that will never happen), would be the worst team in the league gets the #1 pick... unless you're winless, then you get the 32nd.

 

[Zeus]

The way the Colts have played (and handled this season overall) is really a slap in the face to the fans, there's no question. However, at this point, why on Earth would they have signed Kyle Orton? The offense there is BAD, but the defense is equally atrocious, giving up around 30 points per game. Orton might have squeaked out one (maybe two) wins for them the rest of the way, but would that really make anyone feel better?

Again, a disgraceful approach to this season from the get go, but at this point you might as well ride it out.

I don't disagree, but I do think that the perspective of Reggie Wayne et al may differ. They're out there competing and must feel betrayed any time the front office passes on an opportunity to make the team better. The QB situation is beyond dire with Painter and Whatshisname.

 

[AQPE]

4. This Gives Me a Headache Dept - For the second time this season, Steeler safety (and Head & Shoulders spokes-do) Troy Polumalu was forced to leave a game with "concussion-like symptoms." Let's see - guy gets smashed in the head, is disoriented and unsteady on his feet. Not a concussion though. Nope. Concussion-like symptoms. No problem. Send him back out there next week. It's not altogether clear that the Steelers got the e-mails about player safety and the terrible danger posed by repeated blows to the head.

Great overall post, as usual. I broke out this part because when I saw the Polumalu incident the other day my first thought was that it could be one of the more significant developments in recent weeks relative to how things could line up for the Pats in the playoffs. The Steelers are not the same defense without Polumalu, and I think this is the second such incident he has gone through this year. I understand your point about the Steelers not getting the email, I'm a skeptic too when it comes to what the league office does in this kind of situation, but this is actually an area where I think the league has been sincere this year. I really like watching Polumalu so even though it would not be as good for the Pats playoff chances, I'm hoping this isn't as bad as it appears and that he will be on the field (at Gillette ... when the Pats play the Steelers in the AFCCG).

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

We didn't play BBDB in 2003 and 2004. Maybe if we got up to big leads, but those defenses were Belichickian defenses that didn't allow a ton of yardage on a regular basis on the ground or through the air. On top of that, those defenses were some of the most aggressive defenses in the NFL when it came to blitzing the safety.

Yeah, and it got the rules changed.

No wonder you think we lost in the playoffs because of yards surrendered. 2+2=5, so let's doofus it back to prove it, whatever it, is.

This is simple, yards only slightly correlate to winning.

Also, most people north of numbnuts would realize 2003/4 were marked by close victories. In 2011, that yards get elevated with many mutli score wins.

Can you name the clowns at patsfans.com who fixate on yards that get surrendered in the final few minutes while winning by 3 or 4 scores?

 

[Kontradiction]

Yeah, and it got the rules changed.

The Patriots played under the new rules, were still top ten in yards surrendered, and didn't surrender much points in 2004. Once again, this argument is a failure. But keep trying. It's cute.

No wonder you think we lost in the playoffs because of yards surrendered. 2+2=5, so let's doofus it back to prove it, whatever it, is.

I challenge you to provide a direct quote where I blamed the playoff losses 100% on the defenses surrendering yardage. Offense had just as much to do with the losses in both playoff games as the defense. Belichick would agree with that being a, you know, TEAM first coach. The fact of the matter is that the defense still broke down on both occasions when we needed them most. But please, provide that quote for me.

This is simple, yards only slightly correlate to winning.

Limiting yards surrendered correlates to limiting T.O.P. which correlates to getting the ball back in your HOF QB's hands with more chances to score. When we followed this layout, we went to and won Super Bowls. Since we stopped following that layout, we've yet to win a playoff game. This is very simple. Football 101. And, to be honest, it's getting somewhat disturbing that you're having trouble understanding this. Either that, or you're blatently misunderstanding it out of some misplaced sense of fanhood. After you take a few grammar classes, you can probably figure that out for yourself.

Also, most people north of numbnuts would realize 2003/4 were marked by close victories. In 2011, that yards get elevated with many mutli score wins.

Close victories mean that our offense's T.O.P. was limited which meant that the defense couldn't surrender a ton of yards themselves in order to get the offense the ball back with as much opportunities to score as possible and pull out the game. You're essentially making my point for me here.

Can you name the clowns at patsfans.com who fixate on yards that get surrendered in the final few minutes while winning by 3 or 4 scores?

This would be true if the secondary wasn't giving up a ton of passing yards from the get go. I give them a pass for last week because the gameplan was obviously to shut down McCoy. But it's still never good to give up that kind of yardage to the almighty Vince Young.

So tell me, will this follow the normal script here? You come out and try to make a flawed argument, I shut you down, then you leave the thread with your tail between your legs to fight another day?

 

[Deus Irae]

The Patriots played under the new rules, were still top ten in yards surrendered, and didn't surrender much points in 2004. Once again, this argument is a failure. But keep trying. It's cute.



I challenge you to provide a direct quote where I blamed the playoff losses 100% on the defenses surrendering yardage. Offense had just as much to do with the losses in both playoff games as the defense. Belichick would agree with that being a, you know, TEAM first coach. The fact of the matter is that the defense still broke down on both occasions when we needed them most. But please, provide that quote for me.



Limiting yards surrendered correlates to limiting T.O.P. which correlates to getting the ball back in your HOF QB's hands with more chances to score. When we followed this layout, we went to and won Super Bowls. Since we stopped following that layout, we've yet to win a playoff game. This is very simple. Football 101. And, to be honest, it's getting somewhat disturbing that you're having trouble understanding this. Either that, or you're blatently misunderstanding it out of some misplaced sense of fanhood. After you take a few grammar classes, you can probably figure that out for yourself.



Close victories mean that our offense's T.O.P. was limited which meant that the defense couldn't surrender a ton of yards themselves in order to get the offense the ball back with as much opportunities to score as possible and pull out the game. You're essentially making my point for me here.



This would be true if the secondary wasn't giving up a ton of passing yards from the get go. I give them a pass for last week because the gameplan was obviously to shut down McCoy. But it's still never good to give up that kind of yardage to the almighty Vince Young.

So tell me, will this follow the normal script here? You come out and try to make a flawed argument, I shut you down, then you leave the thread with your tail between your legs to fight another day?

I don't know who you're debating here, but you might find BB's WEEI interview from Monday to be interesting. He makes a comment which applies to the points scored argument that gets thrown about here.

 

[Zeus]

The first tenet of BBDB is to not give up the big play, something this team has done remarkably well (see point #7 in the OP). Implicit in this is a greater chance during a longer drive for the offense to make a drive killing mistake - penalty, missed block, dropped pass etc. But, putting such an emphasis on defending the big play makes it difficult to defend the middle of the field, an area in which this team has not performed well at all.

Secondly, play in the red zone is critical. While you want to prevent a score altogether, giving up FGs rather than TDs can often be the difference between winning and losing.

Since BB has coached here, his teams have consistently ranked higher in Points Allowed than Yards Allowed (2007 is the exception where they were ranked 4th in both categories). As BB says himself, Points Allowed is the most important measure. BBDB ain't pretty, but it can work well enough to win a few games.

However, there's no question that the defensive performance has declined dramatically since 2007 and that this team is the most defensively challenged of the Belichick era. Yet somehow, the team is in the middle of the pack in Points Allowed. Whether this is a tribute to BB's coaching and defensive philosophy (and possibly the tenacity of an undertalented group of players), an optical illusion or pure dumb luck - well, I'll leave that for greater football minds to figure out.

Bottom line is that this defense is not good but improving. They are mentally tough, coachable and have overcome a lot of adversity. BB has shown them that they can be competitive despite their shortcomings and limitations. Whether it's going to be good enough, I can't say. What I do know for sure is that they are going to scare the bejeezus out of us along the way.

 

[alvinnf]

Fantasy football is ruining the discerning fans ability to actually recognize what they are looking at.

 

[NEP4Life]

Fantasy football is ruining the discerning fans ability to actually recognize what they are looking at.

"Dah Pats ah givin' up too many yahhhhds!!!"

 

[Kontradiction]

Fantasy football is ruining the discerning fans ability to actually recognize what they are looking at.

I suppose you're going to tell me that I'm actually looking at a great defense? I hope you're right. The garbage games against garbage teams are fun, but I hope I'm wrong when the playoffs come around. Sadly, I've been right the past two seasons.